I haven’t been to this location in ages, but my last Zakkushi Charcoal Grill experience was at their Main Street location. The have three restaurants in Vancouver, but I have yet to visit the one in Kitsilano. This downtown Vancouver location is the original and it’s still as busy as ever. The same menu is priced slightly higher for most things though (likely to cover costs of pricier rent in downtown). I actually really like the food here, but when I crave Japanese food it’s more for sushi, izakaya and ramen over robata or yakitori (grilled meats). It’s apples and oranges, but when I crave grilled meat I usually prefer Korean.

The downtown location is quite narrow and small and it’s not as posh or modernized as the other two locations. The other two are also intentionally hidden, but this one is easy to spot on Denman Street. The atmosphere is reminiscent of watering holes in Japan and it also reminded me izakaya places like Guu with Garlic or Guu on Thurlow. In Vancouver many tend to think of izakaya places as funky Japanese restaurants with eclectic Japanese tapas. While these are izakayas, so are places like Zakkushi which specialize in grilled meats.

Izakaya just means a Japanese drinking place that also serves food – it’s almost like a gastropub. Izakayas are casual places in Japan and where people go drinking after work. The food and drinks are usually affordable and they are quite casual, unlike what they have become in Vancouver. I still love the fancier izakaya scene in Vancouver, but the style is just different and perhaps not as “authentic”. This however, is a great go-to in the city.

Photo from Zakkushi website.

This is what you come for and I will repeat what I wrote in my previous post for it. Knowing the concept of Zakkushi and what type of grill they are using , and what type of robata they are providing, helps to understand and appreciate the flavour and style of their food.

Zakkushi Charcoal Grill specializes in the “Charcoal Grill” (as the name suggests). The grilling is done for you, so it’s not Korean BBQ or anything. This is Japanese style BBQ which is commonly referred to as “robatayaki” or “robata” and the concept of grilled meats on skewers is “yakitori” or “kushiyaki”. It’s likely you’ve seen it on the menu before or tried it in the past, but going to a place that specializes in it is a different experience. Even if you have been to one in Vancouver, it’s likely they’re not doing it the way Zakkushi is.

Zakkushi not only specializes in robata, but the method and technique they use is also different. As you walk in you’ll notice that the smell of BBQ isn’t in the air and you won’t leave smelling like smoke either. Instead what they use is “Binchotan” which is a premium quality charcoal made of 80% carbon so it not have an odour or a flame. While this means the food does not have that char-grilled exterior or smokiness (which some refer to as “impurities”, and I find that debatable), it means the food retains its natural flavours and is meant to be enjoyed in its purest state. The technique is valued to “BBQ Masters” which I think probably varies according to cultures.

I was very confused though because despite what I just wrote (information from their website), I did see flames coming off their grill. The restaurant didn’t smell smoky and the food still didn’t have that char-grilled flavour, but the grill certainly looked different than the one advertised on their website. Regardless I still enjoyed the food and my experience, but I’m just puzzled with the claimed technique and grilling equipment. Personally I enjoy the robata where the meat does not touch the grill, but is grilled above the flame. For that style of robata I prefer Aki Japanese although they are very different styles.

On the table:**Takowasa – 5/6 (Excellent)

Raw octopus marinated in wasabi and Japanese pickles $3.50

This is also known as tako wasabi and it is an ideal snack with beer or sake.

I order this a lot and this could be one of my favourite versions of it.

It’s Japanese style ceviche, so the raw octopus is “cooked” and marinated in Japanese pickles, fresh seaweed, wasabi and/or Japanese hot mustard.

It has a naturally slimy texture and it’s almost like a Japanese raw octopus salsa.

The octopus was tender and not chewy and there was a refreshing crunch from the Japanese pickles.

It didn’t burn, but you can certainly taste the kick of wasabi and mustard.

It was well balanced and savoury with a bit of soy sauce and/or sesame oil (?) too.

Sometimes they serve it with mini sheets of seaweed on the side, but they didn’t do it here.

4 Comments

Guu Kobachi had deep fried chicken gizzard on the their fresh sheet when we went on Aug 11. KFC spicing very similar to popcorn chicken but with gizzard and it was very tasty. At first we didn’t know what it was … it just said gizzard with skin for $3 on the sheet. Ended up getting 3 orders of it before heading up to Zakkushi.

i must admit that i’m not really into eating “satay” type grilled meats on a stick but i have to make an exception for zakkushi… it’s one of the only places i can actually justify going for a meal like this. the ingredients are all fresh and i love the vareity that this establishment offers – they definitely do need a bigger space but i have to admit that i like the intimate setting… its very japanese

It’s often said that once you know how to cook French food, you can pretty much cook everything else. It’s a bold statement, which holds much truth. Goût de France is a global event celebrating and honouring French gastronomy. Over 1,000 chefs have been selected around the world to host French dinners on March 19.